TORONTO, March 7 (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada ( RY )
set a total compensation target of C$17 million ($12.6
million) for CEO Dave McKay for 2024, about 12% more what he
made last year, even as peers that have reported so far made no
changes after their bosses missed 2023 goals.
RBC, the biggest of the banks, said it also awarded the head
of its personal and commercial banking segment Neil McLaughlin a
one-time special cash award of up to C$1.25 million for his role
in the $10 billion acquisition of HSBC's ( HSBC ) Canada unit. The deal,
the biggest in RBC's history, has secured all regulatory
approvals and is set to completed by the end of March.
The board took into consideration that McKay is one of
the longest tenured CEOs among the bank's Canadian and U.S.
peers "with a proven track record of sustained performance," RBC
said in a regulatory filing.
McKay, who has been the CEO since 2014, made a total of
C$15.22 million in 2023, 9% above his 2023 target of C$14
million.
Those numbers contrasted with his peers at Bank of
Montreal ( NRGD ), CIBC and Bank of Nova Scotia ( BNS )
where the boards kept 2024 compensation goals unchanged.
The proposed pay packages are set to voted by shareholders
in next month's annual general meetings. TD Bank has not
yet published its proxy circular.
South of the border, JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) gave CEO
Jamie Dimon a 4% pay increase to $36 million for 2023, Morgan
Stanley awarded Executive Chairman James Gorman a 17% bump to
$37 million and Citigroup ( C/PN ) increased CEO Jane Fraser's
compensation by about 6% to $26 million.
The 2023 Canadian bank pay packages reflected a challenging
a year, when earnings growth was stunted by higher loan
provisions, a tough M&A market and elevated costs.
Canada's third biggest bank by assets, Scotiabank,
maintained CEO Scott Thomson's 2024 compensation target of C$9.5
million, which includes a base salary of C$1 million.
Thomson, who started as CEO in February last year, made
C$9.38 million in 2023, including pension and other benefits of
about C$1 million that also took into account his relocation to
Toronto from Vancouver.
CIBC CEO Victor Dodig's 2024 target compensation has
been set at C$11 million, the same as 2023, when he earned a
total of C$10.7 million.
BMO CEO Darryl White's total 2024 compensation is unchanged,
set for C$11.75 million, compared with the C$11.2 million he
made last year.
"Through the year, greater instability in U.S. regional
banking and more global economic uncertainty occurred than
anticipated and BMO did not achieve its 2023 goals," the bank
said in its circular.
($1 = 1.3457 Canadian dollars)